By Stephen Smoot
In the past week, the federal drought monitoring website delivered the news that most of the Potomac Highlands had entered the category of D2 – Severe Drought.
Dry conditions have settled in from the beginning of the year, with 2026 the 29th driest in the past 132 years. March was the 49th driest in that span of time in which records have been kept.
Streamflow monitors in all Potomac Highlands counties along the South Branch watershed report water at “much below” normal conditions for this time of year. According to the National Weather Service, D2 – Severe Drought, could produce “crop or pasture loss likely, water shortages common, water restrictions imposed.
The part that worries emergency management officials and first responders, however, is the phrase “fire risk very high.”
Doug Mongold, chief of the Moorefield Volunteer Fire Department, shared concerns about increasingly dry conditions recently. Most associate drought with low levels of precipitation, but that only serves as part of the problem. “Winds have been phenomenal for the past year,” he explained, meaning that they have blown at unusually high speeds for unusually long periods of time.
“There’s so much more wind now,” he noted.
Wind not only makes conditions during a fire more extreme and dangerous, it also hastens the dry conditions. Warm temperatures and sustained wind draw moisture from the ground and vegetation, even after soaking rains. They make the “fuel” on the ground drier and more combustible while also reducing the resilience of living plant life.
Mongold urged those planning to do outdoor burning to follow the outdoor burning laws and in all manner of fire safety to “get educated.” He stated that many do not know that under the law, “you are liable if the fire starts on your property” and spreads from there. That liability could, if those responsible are found negligent, come with fines between $100 and $1,000 with a civil penalty of $200. One may also be open to lawsuits from those whose property is damaged.
To those who burn outside of the legal parameters, Mongold warns “they will fine you if you are doing it.”
According to West Virginia Forestry “the state shall recover from the person or persons, firms, or corporations whose negligence or whose violations cause ANY fire at ANY time on any grass or forest land in the amount expended by the state.”
Burning season regulations, however, do not include “small fires for the purpose of food preparation, warmth, or light” and has the requisite 10-foot barrier.
Getting educated means to learn the general burning guidelines available on the West Virginia Forestry website. This starts with 10-foot wide mandatory “safety strip” that “fully encompasses the debris pile.” Those responsible for the fire must stand by until completely extinguished.
That said, however, Mongold stated that “if the wind is blowing, don’t burn.”
Also, during “fire season,” burning restrictions remain in place. These extend between March 1 and May 31 as well as Oct. 1 through Dec. 31. In these periods, outdoor burning is prohibited between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Extreme conditions could lead to the governor declaring an emergency and outlawing any burning.
Additionally, the United States Small Business Administration issued a release last week for those experiencing qualified damage from the drought that afflicted the region in the second half of last year.
It opens with “The US Small Business Administration is reminding small businesses and private non profit (PNP) organizations in West Virginia of the May 26 deadline to apply for low interest disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by a drought occurring Sept 16, 2025.”
Counties covered include Pendleton, Randolph, Grant, Tucker, Pocahontas, and several others in West Virginia, as well as Bath and Highland in Virginia, and two counties in both Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Loans can be for up to $2 million with four percent interest. Applicants can go online to sba.gov/disaster.
